He is the man who will help companies of your size enter new markets, with new export products like trade finance services and specialised trade advice designed to support you.

If you want help on how to start exporting abroad, speak to UK Trade and Investment – there is a stall here today.

Our fourth ambition is to have a more educated and better skilled workforce.

In today’s global economy you can only compete on skills, innovation and know-how.

That is why this Government has embarked on radical reforms to education, including:

* 700 Academies opened since April;

* 24 Free Schools opened in the past month;

* The largest ever investment in apprenticeships – 100,000 more than last year;

* And we have taken the difficult but essential decision to reform student finance to ensure our universities continue to be well funded.

Many would have ducked these challenges. We did not.

So there it is.

More competitive taxes. Better business support. More balanced growth. And a better skilled workforce.

That is our plan for growth.

And I will be announcing further measures alongside the Autumn Forecast at the end of November, including a package of support for mid-sized companies.

Because when you look at the British economy, there is an obvious gap in the way Government supports business.

It’s a gap that exists between our successful SME sector and our world-class large corporations.

In that gap there are many mid-sized companies that are often at the heart of local communities.

Between them they employ millions of people, and turn over billions of pounds.

But they don’t always get the same focus as the smallest or the largest.

As a result, they find it hard to grow and meet their full potential.

This has been a well-known problem for Britain.

The issue might be growing your exports – we know mid-sized businesses often find this harder than large firms.

It might be finding the right source of finance.

Or it might be finding the right staff or skills.

So I think the time has come to fill that gap – starting today.

We should all learn the lessons from the successful Mittelstand model which has operated in Germany for many decades – the medium sized companies that are such a source of strength for that country.

In the UK, mid-sized businesses like yours are often at the centre of our supply chains.

Your prospects depend on the decisions of larger firms at the top of the chain.

And the success of those larger firms in turn depends on having reliable and efficient suppliers.

So today I can tell you that some of Britain’s biggest businesses have agreed to share their global success with their supply chain.

It is a simple idea.

Today’s successful firms helping you grow into the big companies of tomorrow.

It’s in your interest, it’s in their interest, and it’s in the interest of the UK economy.

I can tell you today that Tesco, Centrica, Virgin, GSK, Network Rail, GE, Carillion and BAE Systems have already signed up to work with us – and we hope that other big British firms will join this endeavour.

We would like to set a shared aspiration to secure support, advice and practical help from each of these companies.

The Government and the CBI will work with these firms to develop that offer of support.

We hope it will include:

* Opening up new export opportunities, helping British businesses access new markets around the world where the big name is already established;